Unique Role Makes Good Teams Great

September 2, 1988|By Tim Povtak of The Sentinel Staff

To defensive backs Louis Oliver of Florida or Deion Sanders of Florida State, the role means knocking down running backs, passes and wide receivers all afternoon, then intercepting the most important pass of the game, igniting your team's game-winning drive.

To linebackers Broderick Thomas of Nebraska or Derrick Thomas of Alabama, the role means stuffing the sweep on second down, then sacking the quarterback on third, forcing an offense to abandon its well-conceived game plan.

To wide receiver Lawyer Tillman of Auburn, the role means catching passes that are uncatchable with defenders draped on each arm, taking a handoff to score on a double reverse or streaking past the free safety to catch the 69- yard touchdown pass.

To quarterbacks Troy Aikman of UCLA or Tom Hodson of LSU, the role means telling everyone in the huddle to calm down and hang on, then marching the offense 92 yards for the winning score as time expires.

The role means big plays in big games. It means dominating. It means altering the outcome by your presence alone. It means striking fear into an opponent, forcing it to adjust, then still making the play. It means making everyone around you play better.

The role means being The Impact Player.

They come in all shapes, all sizes and at all positions. They can play offense or defense. They can be speedy cornerbacks, slow quarterbacks, huge defensive linemen, pint-sized wide receivers. But they all do one thing: win big games.

''An impact player is the guy who can make a good team great,'' said University of Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson, who had defensive back Benny Blades and wide receiver Michael Irvin filling that role last season. ''He forces his teammates to play better than they really are. An impact player raises everyone's level around him.''

A coach with an impact player normally adjusts the game plan to use his talents more effectively, building a unit around him. If he is on defense, the team funnels plays toward him. If he is on offense, the game plan is structured around him.

For example, LSU Coach Mike Archer and UCLA Coach Terry Donahue have made changes in their overall game plans this season, added specific plays, changed blocking assignments, to make better use of their quarterbacks.

Hodson has passed for 4,386 yards in his first two seasons, completing 337 of 553 passes for 34 touchdowns. He is on pace to surpass former Florida Gator Kerwin Bell as the top passer in Southeastern Conference history.

Aikman would have been the No. 1 NFL draft pick after last season if he had been a senior. He will be featured prominently this season -- and with good reason. He completed 159 of 243 passes (65 percent) for 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, his first after transfering from Oklahoma.

''We're going to throw the ball this year and throw it a lot,'' Archer said. ''With a player like Tom Hodson, if you don't throw, you're crazy. He can make so many big plays, time and again.''

''Troy Aikman has everything that a great player has to have,'' Donahue said. ''He's had so many brilliant games that we expect so much from him now. And we know he can provide it.''

Coaches who must face an impact player often alter their game plan, hoping to cut down his ability to dominate. Often, though, that strategy backfires, taking away what a team does best. And even the best-laid plan can fall apart when an impact player takes charge of a game.

Linebackers such as Derrick Thomas are redefining the position, lining up anywhere on the field, different places for different downs. No longer can an offense assign a specific player to block him. Quarterbacks spend valuable time just trying to locate him before the snap.

''With an impact player like Derrick Thomas, you shouldn't be surprised to see him line up anywhere,'' Alabama Coach Bill Curry said. ''We'll let the opposing offenses worry about that.''

The University of Florida's defense, redesigned by new defensive coordinator Gary Darnell, has changed the responsibilities of its free safety because of Oliver and his vast talents. Oliver is built like a linebacker (6 feet 2, 227 pounds) and he hits like one, too. He can bench press 390 pounds. Yet he can run like a tailback, timed at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Traditionally, Florida's outside linebacker -- Wilber Marshall, Alonzo Johnson and Clifford Charlton in recent years -- has been the glamor position in Florida's defense. Those players were given the freedom to improvise. That freedom now has been transferred to Oliver.

''I always try to make the big play. It doesn't matter whether it's first down, second down or third down,'' Oliver said. ''I don't think people are afraid of me, but if they don't divert their attention to me, I'll make the play.''

Sanders (6 feet, 190 pounds) isn't as big as Oliver, but he is faster, running 40 yards in 4.25 seconds. Since intercepting a pass his freshman season against Tulsa and returning it 100 yards, quarterbacks have tried to throw away from him.